(CHARLESTON, W.Va.)---WVIAC men's tennis coaches have taken notice of Bluefield State's transformation from league whipping boy into an Atlantic Region powerhouse by awarding the conference's top 2009-10 awards to individuals representing the Big Blues' program.
Shikhar Kapur is the coaches' choice as the WVIAC Player and Freshman of the Year, while Louis Belt was honored by his peers as the league's Coach of the Year.
Kapur racked up a 7-1 record in WVIAC play at #1 singles and paired with Dusan Zivkovic for a 6-2 mark at #1 doubles. The New Dehli, India native rolled to a 25-3 overall record in singles play and is the third ranked individual in the Atlantic Region.
Belt has lifted Bluefield State tennis to new heights during his third year at the helm of the program. BSC is currently ranked second in the NCAA's Atlantic Region rankings, the highest-ever regional ranking by any Big Blue athletic team. The 15-6 Big Blues own an 11-match win streak as they enter the WVIAC Tournament as the second seed. The former Virginia Tech player spent a dozen years guiding the boy's tennis squad at Blacksburg (VA) High School prior to arriving at BSC. He is the first BSC coach to earn WVIAC men's tennis coaching honors.
In addition to Kapur, the ten-player All-WVIAC team is highlighted by a trio of three and four-time honorees. West Virginia Wesleyan teammates Rafael Cavalcante (4x) and Alvaro Ochoa (3x) are joined by Fairmont State's Fabien Mevs (3x) in that select club. Concord's Leonardo Araujo and Bluefield State's Marcin Majchrzak are two-time honorees.
The remainder of the squad consists of Charleston's Sam Humphrey, West Liberty's Erik Johreskog, Davis & Elkins' Agustin Ochoa, and West Virginia Wesleyan's Marc Rosner. Rosner made WVIAC history during the fall by claiming the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Atlantic Regional individual crown.
WVIAC regular season champion West Virginia Wesleyan led all teams with three selections. Bluefield State had two picks, while Charleston, Concord, Fairmont State, Davis & Elkins, and West Liberty received one honoree each. The all-conference squad contains an international flavor with seven countries and four continents represented.
The complete 2010 All-WVIAC Men's Tennis team follows:
2010 All-WVIAC Men's Tennis:
Leonardo Araujo (Concord, Soph., Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Rafael Cavalcante (West Virginia Wesleyan, Sr., Sao Paulo, Brazil)
Sam Humphrey (Charleston, Fr., London, England)
Erik Jahreskog (West Liberty, Soph., Goteberg, Sweden)
Shikhar Kapur (Bluefield State, Fr., New Dehli, India)
Marcin Majchrzak (Bluefield State, Jr., Oserow Wielkopolska, Poland)
Fabien Mevs (Fairmont State, Jr., Port-au-Prince, Haiti)
Alvaro Ochoa (West Virginia Wesleyan, Jr., Bucaramanga, Colombia)
Agustin Ochoa (Davis & Elkins, Fr., Medellin, Colombia)
Marc Rosner (West Virginia Wesleyan, Jr., Ramscheid, Germany)
Players of the Year (1988-present):
1988: Eddie Sizemore (Fairmont State)
1989: Darren Iden (Shepherd)
1990: Steve Haught (Fairmont State)
1991: Sean Murphy (Charleston)
1992: Sean Murphy (Charleston)
1993: John Dawson (Charleston)
1994: John Dawson (Charleston)
1995: Phil Robson (WV Wesleyan)
1996: Mauricio Hinojosa (Charleston)
1997: John Bradshaw (West Liberty)
1998: Kenneth Biggs (Charleston)
1999: Kenneth Biggs (Charleston)
2000: Kenneth Biggs (Charleston)
2001: Toomas Veskimae (Davis & Elkins)
2002: Barry Ndinya (Davis & Elkins)
2003: Mark O'Neill (Concord)
2004: Dan Palcu (Salem International)
2005: Adam Flintoff (Charleston)/Mark O'Neill (Concord)
2006: Casey Moser (Shepherd)
2007: Casey Moser (Shepherd)
2008: Adam White (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2009: Rafael Cavalcante (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2010: Shikhar Kapur (Bluefield State)
Freshmen of the Year (2005-present):
2005: Casey Moser (Shepherd)
2006: Sam DeSimone (West Liberty)
2007: Rafael Cavalcante (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2008: Adam White (West Virginia Wesleyan)
2009: Jandir Junior (West Liberty)
2010: Shikhar Kapur (Bluefield State)
Coaches of the Year (1988-present):
1988: Roger Parker (Shepherd)
1989: Craig White (Fairmont State)
1990: Bill Haines (Fairmont State)
1991: Larry Cochren (Charleston)
1992: Larry Cochren (Charleston)
1993: Larry Cochren (Charleston)
1994: Lee Underwood (Davis & Elkins)
1995: Larry Cochren (Charleston)
1996: Larry Cochren (Charleston)
1997: Larry Cochren (Charleston)
1998: Jim Crutchfield (West Liberty)
1999: Jared Luteran (WV Wesleyan)
2000: Jared Luteran (WV Wesleyan)
2001: Chris Stambaugh (Shepherd)
2002: Chris Stambaugh (Shepherd)
2003: Jim Crutchfield (West Liberty)
2004: Jim Crutchfield (West Liberty)
2005: Chris Stambaugh (Shepherd)
2006: Florin Marton (Salem International)
2007: Lee Underwood (WV Wesleyan)
2008: Lee Underwood (WV Wesleyan)
2009: Lee Underwood (WV Wesleyan)
2010: Louis Belt (Bluefield State)